Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Special thanks to my beta Irihi Safaia

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Friend or Foe

Chapter 19: Unsettling Silence

Albus closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, letting out a tired sigh. It was only in the solitude of his office that he allowed himself to display any kind of weariness. It would do no good to worry his stuff and students further.

It was the last weekend of February, nearly two months since Voldemort's attack on that muggle village. The world had been living in fear ever since. The Ministry of Magic was in a dangerously unstable state. Under public pressure, Cornelius Fudge was dismissed soon after he finally announced to the world that the Dark Lord had indeed returned. As much as Albus had agreed that Cornelius was far from the best choice of a Minister, it could not have been a worse time for a major power shift in the Ministry, which was facing more pressure than ever before.

Fear and confusion, Albus could see how delicate the wizarding world was at the moment; and he knew Voldemort could see that as well. It would not surprise Albus if this was the whole point of that elaborate attack two months ago. While the wizarding world was taking its time to recover itself, Albus knew Tom Riddle well enough to know that a much larger-scaled attack was coming, one that would mark the beginning, or the continuation, of the war.

Both Severus and Draco were unable to find out what the Dark Lord was planning; all they knew was that Voldemort's force was growing alarmingly fast. Even though Hagrid was able to convince the giants to stay neutral, the situation was not as hopeful in the case of werewolves, despite Remus' best effort. There were also the dementors and inferi, both of which were forces that could crush a whole group of well-trained Aurors. Then there were the Death Eaters. Since the raid, many had been driven to join Voldemort out of fear, or power, just like what had happened last time. It saddened Albus to hear that at least five or six children, most of whom were Slytherins, had joined the Dark Lord. The identities of those children were easily known through Draco's connection among the Slytherin house, but there were also a few hidden, just as young Peter Pettigrew had once been.

The other students were acting as lively as usual, though there seemed to be a weight hanging over them ever since Voldemort's return had been announced. The many empty seats in the Great Hall during meal time served as a constant reminder of the danger they were now facing. Parents were pulling their children out of school, and there was little Albus could do. It was only after serious consideration that Albus had decided to let the students visit Hogsmeade today.

His eyes fell onto the entrance of his office as the wards alerted him that someone had just gained entrance from the guarding gargoyle. Albus wondered who his visitor could be. Mineva? Severus? For a brief second he wondered if it was news that something had happened in Hogsmeade before reassuring himself that someone would have informed him with a Patronus long ago if it was anything that serious.

He waited for a moment, but his visitor still had yet to appear. Waving his wand, Albus checked the ward again to identify whoever had activated the gargoyle. What he found was unexpected.

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley? Most likely something concerning Harry then. Curious, Albus decided to find out what the two members of the Gryffindor trio was doing.

The moment Albus went out of his office, he could hear two faint voices arguing at the bottom end of the stairs.

"He told us to keep it a secret, remember?"

"You knew how distanced he has been recently, Ron. He always went away alone and he hardly even talked to us. He told us to keep that a secret, but something must have gone wrong with whatever he is doing."

"He would have told us if it's anything that serious."

"I am not so sure about that. He's been acting so… different this year. Something is wrong and Professor Dumbledore would want to know about that."

"I'm not about to betray my friend like that, Hermione. Besides, how do you know if Dumbledore didn't already know? He knows about everything after all, surely he would know about something this big?"

"But what if Harry is in danger and the Headmaster is too occupied with the war to notice? Harry is in more danger than any of us now and you know how easily he could get into trouble, Ron."

There was a pause before Ron replied, with a hint of resignation, "I have nothing to with this."

The conversation ceased, leaving Albus intrigued and concerned with what he had just heard. Deciding that it was time to let his presence be known, he descended the stairs until the two students came into view. They were obviously surprised to see him there.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley," greeted Albus, smiling warmly. "Shouldn't you be enjoying your time at Hogsmeade?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, then the girl spoke up, "There's something we want to tell you, Professor… about Harry."

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Harry wandered around Hogsmeade, feeling better than he had felt for weeks.

So far, he hadn't bought anything, but merely spending some time outside of Hogwarts had helped him to relieve some of his stress.

The last two months had been… hard. The realization Harry had upon Percy's warning led him to distance himself even further from his Gryffindor friends. Though Harry had not felt as close to his two Gryffindor friends ever since his return from the past, it hurt to pull away from two of his best friends like that.

By pulling further and further away from the world he once knew as Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, the hopelessness of his current situation only seemed to have intensified.

Lost in his dark thoughts, Harry jumped as he heard an unfamiliar voice hissing his name from behind him. Kicking himself for being caught unaware, Harry turned around sharply and immediately identified the figure standing a few feet behind him.

"Nott."

Harry regarded the boy cautiously, not knowing what to expect from the Slytherin. He knew that Theodore Nott had joined the Death Eaters a week ago, along with two other Slytherins from another year. Unlike Lucius Malfoy, Nott's father was not influential enough to put his son straight into Voldemort's inner circle like Draco had been.

"Put you hand away from your wand, Potter, I'm not about to attack you," said Nott almost lazily. "It's… unnecessary, isn't it."

Knowing the Slytherin was testing for his reaction, Harry carefully kept his expression guarded.

Nott regarded Harry with open curiosity. "I always wonder what he's done to turn you," he muttered, then shrugged. Making sure that no one else was walking down the alley, Nott took a few steps towards Harry and went on quietly, "Granger and Weasley have spent nearly an hour in Dumbledore's office this morning. And I heard them arguing something about you and your secrets before Dumbledore called them in. I'm sure you'd find this… interesting." With that said, Nott walked past Harry and disappeared around the corner.

Harry stared after his unexpected informant. There was only one reason for Nott to help him. The Slytherins, specifically those who knew Harry secretly bore the Dark Mark through their parents, had been observing him closely for the past two months. As annoying as it was, Harry knew that they had been judging him and it seemed they had finally decided to include him in their undercover team at Hogwarts, at least temporarily. It was… unsettling, to say the least.

Thinking back on what he had just learned, Harry found that the news had not come as very much of a shock to him. Perhaps deep down, he had known that it was only a matter of time before the two Gryffindors would pass on the information to Dumbledore. He couldn't muster any anger towards Ron and Hermione. He didn't have the right to be angry, not when he had betrayed them far more deeply than they had him.

Shaking his head, Harry let his feet carry him out of the alley to the main street, his mind occupied with thoughts of how to deal with the inevitable questioning from Dumbledore.

He knew exactly what Ron and Hermione had told the Headmaster, which could not be much, even if they had told Dumbledore everything Harry had told them. Even if Dumbledore knew he had traveled back in time, Harry doubted the Headmaster could connect the whole thing to one Alex Salutor, especially since 'Alex' was only an unfortunate boy who had suffered from amnesia as far as Dumbledore was concerned.

Still, Harry knew better than to underestimate Albus Dumbledore. It would not be long before everything came out. Time was running out. Harry could only hope he could stop the regrets he kept feeling over his choice when the time came.

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Albus stood next to the window in his office, deep in thought. With Voldemort's return, he had taken up the role as the leader of the Order once again and that had taken up most of his time aside from running the school. He admitted that this year, he had not paid as much attention to Harry as he had done for the past four years.

Albus had feared he might have neglected the boy's needs this year, but Harry had proven himself capable of taking care of himself and those around him. Severus had told him that it was Harry who had convinced Draco not to follow his father's footsteps. Albus couldn't be more proud of Harry with his noble action, especially since he knew Draco had been Harry's rival for years.

It was why what Harry's friends had just told him had come as such a shock. Severus had already told him months ago that Harry had changed and that the boy was hiding something, yet Albus had not noticed anything particularly different about the boy. Harry had grown and become more mature, yes, but that was normal after all the boy had gone through. He had no idea that something so serious had happened over the summer.

Time travel. It was supposedly impossible in terms of magic and human's physical capability; at least that was what everyone tended to believe. Albus knew that there had been several attempts at this dangerous yet intriguing adventure, but as far as he knew, none of them had succeeded, until now.

Albus wondered why Harry hadn't told anyone about this. While he knew the boy had kept a number of his misadventures from him in the past few years, Harry always knew which matter was serious enough that an adult should be informed. But this time, Harry had deliberately kept the whole thing a secret. It had been months after the incident when Harry finally told his two best friends, whom he used to share everything with. And even then, it was only in very vague terms.

According to Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley, Harry's memories had been erased when he traveled back in time. He had assumed another identity in the past and had been using that identity secretly after he had returned. Though Albus had comforted the two Gryffindors, telling them that Harry only needed time to recover from whatever he had experienced in the past, he was deeply concerned with the boy's condition himself. Harry's distancing from his friends was worrying, seeing as the three had grown to be so close after the last four years. It must be caused by Harry's traveling to the past, but what exactly had happened? If Harry really had no memory of his present-self during his time in the past, anything could have happened.

Suddenly Albus found himself lacking answers to many questions. How had the whole incident happened? Which point in time had Harry traveled to? More importantly, what had Harry been doing in the last few months with the identity he had acquired in the past? Why was he so insistent to keep everything in the dark?

A part of Albus urged him to question the boy while another part, the part of him that was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, told him to wait and observe. Since the early stage of his teaching career, Albus had made a point to let his students make their own choices and let them have as much freedom as possible, since he knew there was no better way to learn than through trial and error. He preferred to let his students come to him, instead of the other way around.

Harry had never disappointed him in the last four years. He even managed to surprise him several times, displaying a kind of courage that would certainly make James and Lily proud. He was eager to know what Harry was doing, but would it be safe to just wait and observe for the time being?

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Harry was surprised that no one had summoned him up to the Headmaster's office after he had headed back to Hogwarts. Instead, he found himself under full observation from the old wizard during dinner that night, making him wonder if a quick interrogation might have been more preferable. The few times Harry tried to look up at the head table, he found himself staring into the eyes of his Headmaster. Even though Harry was rather confident with his Occlumency, he still couldn't shake off the feeling that the pair of blue eyes seemed to be staring right through him, scanning for the many secrets Harry was hiding. Harry couldn't help but wonder exactly how much Dumbledore knew of his situation and how much the old wizard knew of his connection with Voldemort.

Tensing unintentionally at that thought, Harry forced himself to focus back on his meal. He was sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table during dinner that night, with Hermione and Ron sitting across from him. Even if Harry didn't already know what had happened, it would be hard to miss the nervous look Ron kept sending his way. Hermione was eating calmly as usual, though Harry could spot her glancing up at the head table when she thought he wasn't looking. Despite the cheerful chattering around him, Harry couldn't have felt more alone.

The suffocating atmosphere made Harry lose his appetite. He quickly cleared away his current dish before grabbing his bag and left the Great Hall, well aware of the three pairs of eyes watching his every move.

Harry passed by several students that were just heading for dinner and fled to the solitude of his own hiding place. Noting that no one was following him, he paced back and forth in the deserted corridor and waited for the door of the Room of Requirement to appear, the one place he still hadn't told anyone about.

Opening the door, Harry stepped into the room and locked the entrance with a strong spell. To say this room was not a pleasant place was an understatement. Books and dummies could be found around the room. In a corner of it, right next to a large bookshelf, was a cabinet filled with spiders.

It was his training room. He had spent many nights here before to prepare himself for whatever might happen when he went to see the Dark Lord for the first time.

Harry shivered. Though he had grown quite accustomed to this room, it still sent chills down his spine every time he came in here. The atmosphere in this room was a complete contrast to the Great Hall. It was quiet, cold… and dark. The founders, with the exception of Slytherin, would probably be rolling in their graves if they knew how he had been using this room. It was the place he had taught himself the one thing that could help him gain a place near Voldemort and help him survive in the Dark Lord's rank - Dark Arts, or more precisely, the Unforgivables.

Harry shook his head. He knew he would soon lose himself in his dark thoughts if he didn't find something to distract himself soon. Pulling out some parchment from his bag, Harry stumbled to the desk that had mysteriously materialized in the middle of the room and started to write his potions essay. It was not the best of places, but Harry had gotten used to studying in here. At least he didn't have to deal with the suspicious gazes here.

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Days dragged by in similar fashion until March approached. On the first weekend of the month, Harry woke up and immediately knew that something was wrong. The twisted pleasure he was feeling at the moment could only be coming from Voldemort, and that couldn't mean anything good. The first time he had felt this way, hundreds of muggles had been killed. The second time, which was merely two weeks ago, he learned from Draco that the majority of the werewolves, lead by someone called Greyback, had agreed to assist the Dark Lord. Harry didn't need to be a Seer to know that something horrible was going to happen today.

Not feeling like having breakfast, Harry spent the whole morning in the library, hoping that the dull atmosphere could calm his nerves. He had thought of warning Draco, but the Slytherin was in the Great Hall and Harry knew better than to stay in the same place as Dumbledore when it was likely for his Dark Mark to start burning at any time.

Harry didn't need to wait long before his prediction was proven correct. A sharp pain erupted from his left forearm without warning shortly before noon. Sighing in grim resignation, he pushed himself up from his chair and hurried out of the library.

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A soft and sad cry brought Albus out from his musing. Both Severus and Draco had just been summoned. It was the first time in two months that Voldemort had called a full Death Eater meeting and Albus dreaded to know what the Dark Lord had planned.

"Have you felt it too, Fawkes?" he whispered, stroking the phoenix gently. "I fear something horrible is going to happen today."

Fawkes' presence renewed Albus' strength, but he could also feel the phoenix's anguish clearly, as if Fawkes was mourning for whatever was going to happen.

Just then the entrance of a glowing white leopard caused Albus to turn away form Fawkes. What he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

He reached out to touch Severus' Patronus and immediately the familiar voiced rang through his mind. Severus' voice was urgent and the message was short, consisting of only two words, but that was enough to cause Albus to freeze in disbelief.

Diagon Alley.

Such a bold move! Perhaps Albus should have expected it. Tom had never been subtle about showing his power and Albus knew Voldemort's force had grown at an alarming rate in the past two months. It seemed the situation was indeed as grave as he had feared.

Leaving the leopard to fade into mist, Albus immediately conjured his own patronus to alert the Order. Then he used the floo network to contact several trusted members of his staff and entrusted the safety of the students to them. Without pausing and waiting for Minerva, who was hurrying towards his office upon hearing the news, Albus tossed a handful of floo-powder into the fireplace and headed for the Order's headquarters. There was no time to lose.

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A/N: More of a transitional chapter that fills in the time gap between the raid last time and one of the most important events in this story.

Thanks for all of you who are still following this. I'll try to get the next one up as soon as possible.